Breaking New Ground Lootz' 2x4 NoTil LOS Bed ViparSpectra XS1500 Pro

[lootznbootz]

I can't see any grow in need of saving or ship that needs righting, but glad to help!

Things are going well but there’s always room to grow
I feel like every journal I’ve done someone has chimed in to give me a tip or help me to see something I may have been overlooking that “helps” the grow well say that…
This grow I think it may have been you pointing out my light/heat stress

Last grow it was @Keffka and @Azimuth noticing my watering practices were off

This is why I take the time to journal the feedback from growers like you makes me better

 

[ViparSpectra]

Watch how the plants respond, try adjusting the light may do some help

 

[InTheShed]

 

[lootznbootz]

Hey shed!
I’ve had an update typed up for the past week!
Just haven’t been able to get pictures and upload then what typed is outdated
I have a major update coming tonight if I can get out of work on time!
I’ve been hit with mandatory OT the past week!
(Almost time for a new gig)

Everything is going as smooth as silk tho
Buds are getting fat and the smell is incredible!

Thank you for checking in on me!

We’re still growing strong!

 

[InTheShed]

Glad to hear all is well and growing! Don't burn out yourself or your plants.

 

[lootznbootz]

Hello and welcome! ​

Apologies for such a long break.
Work was absolutely insane the last 2 weeks!
Tons of mandatory overtime definitely put a strain on all aspects of my life.
More time at work means less time with family or in the garden. Less time recovering and it eventually it can become very overwhelming!

Luckily for me although I keep a small circle I have an amazing supporting cast to keep me on the right track and keep an eye on the grow for me if I can’t be there.

This was a big reason for switching to organic soil beds.
The minimal input required to maintain it allows my dad to be way more involved.
He may not understand all the science behind everything but he understands plants and has common sense.
Plus he’s seen the past 2 grows first hand so he’s much more familiar and getting more comfortable in the garden.
As a matter of fact I haven’t watered the mothers or clones in the past couple weeks.
But when I do check on them sure enough they’re maintained and perfectly watered!
Which is so cool that he’s learned to water smaller plastic pots.
I think a big part of that is the irrometers!
They play a huge role in seeing what the moisture level of the soil is.
And that coupled with the fact that the soil only really needs water.
Makes it very easy for a beginner!

At this point the environment is the only thing that requires real work and attention.
With the summer heat becoming more intense and regular, maintaining perfect temps and humidity takes a bit of doing BUT it is surprisingly holding up pretty well!

The swamp cooler maintains the garage temps at 79* I could probably get it a bit cooler but that would require it to run a bit more which would add more humidity.
The dehumidifier fills up once or twice a day and without keeping the garage door cracked the humidity can build up to dangerous levels of left unchecked.
Otherwise temps are an average of 82* in the tents
With humidity around 50* on average.

The ACI pro controller does an amazing job at maintaining the tent environment by VPD I set my high and low vpd and let the fans do the work!
Really set it and forget it!
I need to upgrade the other controllers I have to the ProModels so I can have this ability in the other tents.

For now having the 2x4 set is plenty good!
I manually change the other tent settings to maintain proper vpd but that requires me to tweak it on warmer days or cooler days.
So it’s not practical considering I haven’t had much time as it is I can’t be tinkering every day with those setting and risk leaving a light or something on as I’ve done in the past

I have really been impressed with the XS1500 Pro’s!
They run very cool and do an excellent job of getting penetration deep into the canopy.
I even have a couple straggler plants from my cover crop still getting enough light to stay somewhat alive

If it wasn’t for these lights I don’t know that I would be able to grow in the summer months in the garage.
The heat dissapation and the even par distribution make these the perfect lights for my situation!

The plants will be finishing week 5 from the flip and starting week 6 on Sunday!
They have really started to swell and frost up!

It is a significant and noticeable difference from the previous 2 grows!
The buds look fat! And I mean just looking at it you can tell everyday that they are getting bigger!

Previous grows are just about out the window when it comes to this strain.
I’m back to breeders info and what to expect because she’s gone against all my notes up to this point so I’d like to think we may have another 5 weeks but who knows at this point

I noticed another wave of gnats in the 2x4 the other tents I haven’t noticed a single one!
It’s kind of strange considering all the tents are right next to each other with about 6 inches between them. So it’s not a long flight to the other tents.
And considering the other tents had gnats at one time but don’t since introducing the the beneficial bugs I’m kinda scratching my head a bit.

I do notice a diverse amount of beneficials in the soil and they far outnumber any gnats but there are gnats.
Enough for me to keep spraying neem on the soil to combat the adults.
Far less than before but still there in manageable numbers.

I do have to water ALOT these 3 plants move that needle without hesitation!
I do not believe I’m “overwatered” as I only ever put 3 gallons at a time.
That’s only 5 percent of the soil volume.
I fear I am underwatered most of the time actually.
But the plants are showing me nothing in terms of complaining.
So Charlie Mike!

I have only taken a handful of leaves since the last defoil.
If I see it blocking a budsite or multiple sites or a big leaf laying on a budsite it gets removed.
With the swamp cooler as my A/c I’m being very cautious of mold and mildew and doing what I can to stay ahead of it and any potential causes of it if I can.

So far this grow has been going absolutely amazing!
I plan on diving into the garden much more this weekend in between work and hitting a much needed reset button!
I hope everyone enjoys their holiday weekend as much as I plan to!

Thank you as always for stopping by!
Your time is appreciated!

 

[ViparSpectra]

Planting is a fascinating thing, although there are many things to consider, it is really rewarding to watch the plants grow day by day until they are harvested. Good luck.

 

[Greenvein]

Looking beautiful brother, you definitely got it down! Glad your old man is along for the ride and doing his part you got a great team there! oh and don't forget the bugs the frontline of your army! Can't wait to see them fatten up some more hopefully she don't stop
I think them vipars are perfect for your tent! Tempted to try them but I love my xs2000s they are beasts lool

Peace bro

 

[lootznbootz]

Planting is a fascinating thing, although there are many things to consider, it is really rewarding to watch the plants grow day by day until they are harvested. Good luck.

Indeed it is a balancing act all the way to the finish! Many things to consider!
But it’s so rewarding when you make it to the finish!

Looking beautiful brother, you definitely got it down! Glad your old man is along for the ride and doing his part you got a great team there! oh and don't forget the bugs the frontline of your army! Can't wait to see them fatten up some more hopefully she don't stop
I think them vipars are perfect for your tent! Tempted to try them but I love my xs2000s they are beasts lool

Peace bro

Thank you brother! Yea everything luckily is going as planned and having my pops to help is the only reason I’ve been able to grow period but he definitely allows me to keep grinding and be away from the grow all the time!

The bugs are definitely working don’t get me wrong the gnats are nowhere near as bad as they were I just notice waves of them they’ll come and go I notice a bunch then I see only one or 2 for the next day or so then another wave.
I think it just comes down to staying consistent spraying for adults.
Also remembering that the beneficial bugs increasing in numbers means they are finding food to support themselves.
It’s much better than it was and shows signs of improvement.
I just wanted to be as transparent as possible with everything.

Bro I absolutely love my VIPARS
The XS2000 is my favorite too!
You know I have 2 of them over my 4x3 worth every single penny!

Vipar definitely has the light game on lock right now!

 

[InTheShed]

Nice early frost and excellent stacking! And it's nice to have a team to back you up when you need it, in everything actually.

Think next grow you might set the net a bit higher?

 

[lootznbootz]

Nice early frost and excellent stacking! And it's nice to have a team to back you up when you need it, in everything actually.

Think next grow you might set the net a bit higher?

Indeed it’s looking very nice so far!

Very true! I tend to keep to myself and be alone wolf in everything I do.
But it never hurts to have trustworthy people backing you up!

Absolutely! Next time there’s so much I’m going to do differently!
I planned to start another journal for the 3x3 just been too busy.
But in that grow I definitely addressed a few things from this grow that I wanted to change.
Of course now there’s thing I want to change with that one now too.
It’ll never end there’s always something I won’t be happy with.

I’ll get it right one day

Thanks SHED! I appreciate your input!

 

[lootznbootz]

I thought I added these pictures with my last reply to shed

This is the 4x3 with the 3x3 soil bed.

The net is much lower! This picture is from the other day.
They are finishing up week 2 from the flip.

Way more on top of it in this tent
But still things I want to change for next time already with this one too so like I said it never ends

 

[KeithLemon]

I thought I added these pictures with my last reply to shed

This is the 4x3 with the 3x3 soil bed.

The net is much lower! This picture is from the other day.
They are finishing up week 2 from the flip.

Way more on top of it in this tent
But still things I want to change for next time already with this one too so like I said it never ends

Looking good lootz

 

[lootznbootz]

Looking good lootz

Thank you Keith I’m liking the results I’m getting so far.

In the garden now actually doin a bit of work and gathering pictures for an update for tomorrow.

 

[lootznbootz]

 

[InTheShed]

like I said it never ends

Let's hope not!

 

[lootznbootz]

I have a lot that I want to update but want to give it the proper time for a full write up
In the mean time a quick pic of the XS1500 Pro killing it!

The strings are getting tight in there!

 

[lootznbootz]

Hello and Welcome ​

This will be the proper update I've been wanting to get to!
I have my bong packed full of last harvest, "good kid maad city" on vinyl playing in the background and nothing needing my attention for hours.

Let's get into it!

Yesterday we started Week 6 from the flip. From the looks of things we seem to be right on track.
The buds are swelling much more than both the previous grows SIP or otherwise! The string that I tied up after supercropping has as expected helped to support branches that are starting to have issue doing so for themselves.

In order to keep the moisture content of the soil constant between 10-15 on the irrometer, I am having to water about 3 gallons of water a day.
In an effort to ensure the best results for this grow and next I have been "feeding" more than what is probably necessary. Considering the fact that the soil should have more than enough in itself to get them to harvest as is.
Being that it's the first run I figure why not just throw the cupboard at it and see what happens, but there's also some forward thinking in that I don't want these plants to deplete the bed too much before the next run.

"Feeding the Soil" ensures that we're replacing what the plants take out as they take it.
Besides the couple of teaspoons worth of powders I water in every other watering or so.
I've top dressed with worm castings as well as sprinkled bokashi and craft blend throughout the top dressing and the mulch layer.

Some waterings get much less than "feedings".
For example during these we'll call waterings as opposed to feedings I only add

• 1/8th tsp/gal of Saponin extract​
• 1/2 tsp/gal rootwise bio-phos​

The saponin gets added anytime I water. It makes the water soapy and well makes your water wet.
Because I don't have a tray underneath my bed it really helps to make sure my water is slowly absorbed into the soil and avoid it running straight through then soaking back up into the medium as runoff I can't easily remove.

I shoot for a FWF.

When I do feed it is a mixture of a couple of products

• Big 6 Micros
• Buildabloom (vegan bloom booster)
• Soy aminos (which going forward I won't be using the rest of this grow as its a 16-0-0 nitrogen source and that's obviously not needed at this stage.)
• aloe
• freeze dried coconut water

Speaking to the aminos and not using them going forward the same logic applies as not wanting to not have enough of something available now and in the future I don't want to overdue it either and load the soil with more of something that could cause an issue later in future runs.

Since were on the topic of water I did check my PPM my R/o water and the PPM was still under 20.
According to the r/o manufacturer I should have to change after 6 months... I suspect they want me to buy more filters tho
It's been since November and it hasn't changed. I checked it against multiple pens too so I know Im pretty accurate there.

I haven't checked PH Since my Return journal. I don't even think about it anymore.
Since switching to this method time giving the plants the necessities is a breeze.
Fixing any water for them watering or feed takes maybe 3 minutes.
I have measuring spoons and try to be as accurate as possible and it still doesn't take longer than 5 minutes.

This method has really made growing much simpler.

I have been staying consistent in my spraying for bugs and the results speak for themselves they really do fall back in numbers when I hit them daily.
Keep in mind I'm only spraying the top of the soil and maybe the lower branches where there are no flower or leaf material.
As far as beneficial insects go, if you look closely at the soil before disturbing it its crazy to see the little ecosystem of bugs all at work under the mulch layer.

I have noticed a couple of things this grow vs the previous 2 while running this strain.
The first 2 times I grew this strain it started purpling very early on. It also had a much sweeter smell compared to the other plants it grew next to.
Even in the jars now the buds are sugary sweet smelling and taste sweet as well with hints of cinnamon.
I shit you not its been confirmed by everyone who's smelled smoked it.

So across 2 grows its been pretty consistent. A couple of differences tho that I think may be playing a factor here.

• Method of growing is drastically different
• Feeding method is much different resulting in no deficiency to cause purpling mistaken for color expression
• Temperature outside is much warmer now so the garage stays a consistent 78* - 82*. This causes there to be no nighttime temperature swings.

It will be interesting to see how these buds mature in comparison to the last 2 grows.
So far these

• Have yet to purple (at least for now).
• Have put on much more weight, much faster (this was to be expected I knew it was a big yielder before)
• Smell much more of fuel and funk VS the sweet sugary smell they've had before

I'm also very anxious to get back to fall and winter!
I can't wait to see what these beds can do when temps and humidity stay perfect with no added effort but my oil radiator.

It's far easier and cheaper to heat the garage than cooling it!

I am aiming for another 5 weeks of flower at least. That will bring the total flower time to around 11 weeks.
It's also perfect as I have to be going out of town briefly and upon coming back will be putting a brief hold on growing for the rest of the summer, finishing up whatever grows I have going and at most vegging for the next run.

Speaking of Veg, the mother tent has had some action recently.

The PBK mother Ive been keeping was getting out of control and was SUPER tall. So a couple weeks ago I chopped her down to size and put all of her cuttings in a cup of water to save for cloning later.
I never got around to putting them in the Ghetto cloner I just left them in the cup as is and my dad maintained keeping them refilled with fresh water.

Well right as I was looking at what the future grows are going to be I worried that I only have that mother of PBK and if I lose her the strain dies with it.
I decided ok I may want to bust out the cloner just to get another cut or 2 going for insurance.
I checked on the cup and lo and behold 5 had roots!
Granted not nearly as much as I would have gotten from a rapid rooter (and that's very debatable). But with absolutely no effort at all I was able to get clones rooted and transplanted in to solo cups.

The mother by the way has bounced back from me chopping her back to nothing and looks to be ready to give another round of clones in another couple of days or so.

I had a little bit of Lush soil left in a bag so I threw in a handful of buildabloom castings, craft and kasha blend into the bag and mixed it up.
I dipped the root tips directly into root wise myco and planted them into the cups. I watered them in and placed them back into the tent to begin their journey.

After seeing these results I decided that at 2 weeks in the 4x3 it was time to trim them back a bit and take what clones I could while I could.
I do not need clones of these I have 2 mothers of each strain in the veg tent already but I figured why not put this method to the test again for S&G and see what happens.
I had to cut the plants back anyway so it was perfect timing.

Considering the break I mentioned earlier most of these will probably not be used and donated if possible.

That leads me to my final thoughts about clones and keeping of mothers. I would very much like to try my hand at chucking some pollen and backcrossing this PBK so that I can grow it again from seed instead of having to keep a mother of it.
That is planned for this winter. Gives me time to really read up on it and not go into it too blindly. I am not sure which route I want to go as of yet but I do know I need to make it happen.

I would like to transition to growing from seed but really don't want to lose this cut of the PBK that I found so this is what's next on the horizon to accomplish.
I have seen a couple of people do it successfully and will be diving back into those journals as my guide and crash course.

Other than that the garden has become a place of excitement and amazement. We're opening the tent every day and with the buds getting bigger so our our smiles!

I must say these XS1500 Pro are really surprising me in how effective they are and how well the fill this space!
For what looks to be such small lights they pack a serious punch!

I've come to expect nothing less from Vipar tho! The XS2000 in the 4x3 are out of this world bright and do an amazing job of filling the space with more than enough par. I think I'm running those at 75%

The XS1500 I have running at 100% and since super cropping to get them from practically touching the lights.
Ive noticed no burn or discoloration bleaching etc on any of the plants.
These lights have established themselves as my lights for this tent going forward!
The results speak for themselves so far!

I think that's all for now Im sure I could ramble some more about other little details here and there but as I collect those thoughts I'll detail them throughout the week given enough time.

What do you all think? How is this grow looking so far?
What would you change? What would you have done differently?
What are your opinions and feedback on reversing a plant for pollen?
How would you go about it and what would you do?
Are there any strains you're currently reversing if so how and why?
Most importantly what are your opinions on the XS 1500 Pro?
How do they stack up to your current lighting situation?
And what do you think could be improved OR is improved vs other lights out there?

Thank you for stopping by and giving me your time as always I truly appreciate it!

 

[InTheShed]

What a wonderful fact-filled and picturiffic post Lootz! I can't offer anything on your grow methods since they're completely different from mine, but I do have thoughts on these two questions:

What are your opinions and feedback on reversing a plant for pollen?

I have had no success using GA3 to reverse plants even after trying 4 different dilution strengths, so I don't recommend that. CS is a lot of work with the daily application for days on end so I never even bothered going that route.

I tried STS at the all-over-the-internet recommended 10% strength with meh results, but after watching this video (which recommends 50% strength) I've had excellent results and highly recommend it. Also, it only needs to be applied like 3 or 4 times.

Are there any strains you're currently reversing if so how and why?

I've only reversed two varieties and it was because they were no longer available in seed form. The first is Candida (almost entirely CBD) and I use that medically. I always have a mother on hand for when I need more flower for oil, but I wanted to be able to supply others with seeds since the company is no more. The second is Sour G (Sour Diesel x THC Bomb x GG#4) which is one of my wife's favorites, and the seeds came from The Rooster who used to be a member here. He made them as an accidental cross and he's vanished, so I did a seed run and ended up with many hundreds! I've given them to a few folks here so you might see them growing in the occasional journal.

 

[Greenvein]

Lootz my bro your killing it! Each grow I have watched since your return you have taken a simpler more natural route each time yet each bloom/harvest looks like it has exceeded the last! And from the pictures I think your second bed looks more controlled then your first so you've settled in more with the new growing style and naturally got them plants exactly how you want them..

Your research and efforts have paid of man!

I'm pretty sure it was just last week you said I'm thinking of just throwing some clones in water to see what happens seems to have worked well